Answer: The Lord, risen from the dead, appears to His disciples three times in John’s Gospel.
First: to Mary Magdalene and His disciples (17-23). This represents the present period.
Second: to Thomas and the disciples. Thomas represents the Jews who will not believe till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom. “Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed,” applies here primarily to those who in the tribulation will be converted, and suffer persecution for His name (verses 24 to 29.) 1 Peter 1:88Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (1 Peter 1:8) applies now.
Third: is His appearing (chap. 21:1-11) in connection with the great Millennial gathering—fish out of the sea of the nations.
John 17:44I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. (John 17:4) looks on, so does 19:30. His death must be included. So it is in John 20. It looks on to His ascension, and to the sending of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:3333Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (Acts 2:33); we cannot separate these blessings from Pentecost. The message given to Mary tells of our association with Christ in heavenly glory, and that now His Father is our Father; His God is our God. “Touch Me not,” is telling her of the new way in which He is known.
Verse 19, is not the Sabbath, it is the Lord’s day, the first day of the week. The disciples are gathered by the news that He is risen, and He comes into their midst, and says, “Peace unto you,” and shows them His hands and His side, making their hearts glad to see Him. This is outside the camp unto Him. The door was shut for fear of the Jews (Matt. 18:2020For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20); Heb. 13:1313Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. (Hebrews 13:13)). “Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.” It is so still with those who look only to Him.
Verse 21. Again He says, “Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.” “Apostle” means, “a sent one.” And now He breathed on them, as God breathed into Adam’s nostrils, the breath of life, and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost,” giving us the thought of His risen life communicated to us, and the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, the power of that life. And to the apostles in a special way was said, “Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them; and whosesoever sins ye retain they are retained.” This is gospel forgiveness administered by the apostles by the Lord’s authority (compare Paul in 2 Cor. 2:1414Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14) to 16). John does not give us assembly forgiveness. We all can serve in our own path, and all who have believed the gospel of their salvation have life, and redemption, giving peace with God, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us as the power for service. (See Acts 10:3838How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10:38)).
Answer: This is not telling how to be saved, but rather giving us lessons on the need of putting the Lord first in our lives, which cannot go before, but must follow our being saved. It is necessary to understand that we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-108For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8‑10)), “and that not of ourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast.” Our relationship is with God our Father as His children; and to our Lord Jesus Christ as members of His body, His Holy Spirit now dwelling in us until the day of redemption (1 John 3:1, 21Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:1‑2); 1 Thess. 1:11Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:1); 1 Cor. 6:19;12:12, 1319What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)
12For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12‑13)).
Salvation is the gift of God, it cost us nothing. It cost God so much to give us eternal life in His Son. It was love that did it, and this love claims our hearts. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:9, 10, 199In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9‑10)
19We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)).
Discipleship, or following the Lord, is love’s claim upon us, and the Lord’s love could not be satisfied to be put second. To the natural mind such verses as Luke 14:26, 27, 33,26If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26‑27)
33So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33) seem impossible to carry out till we understand our new place in Christ, where in the power of His new risen life we take up our new duties that belong to us for Him, and like the man in John 5, from Him we get the strength to carry the bed that carried us till we were converted. So in Ephesians 5, we have: “Wives submit yourselves to your own husbands,” “Husbands love your wives,” “Children obey your parents,” “Parents train up your children,” “Servants obey your masters,” “Masters consider your servants.” There is the whole circle of our earthly relationships, and they are all to be carried out by His grace by us. This is what Luke 9:57-6257And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 59And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:57‑62) points to. We have here three samples of how the flesh in us seeks to excuse itself from the immediate claims of the Lord upon us.
Verses 57, 58. A certain man said to the Lord, “Lord, I will follow Thee withersoever Thou goest,” and Jesus said unto him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” If this man puts his comfort first, he will not follow One who has no place to lay His head.
Verses 59, 60. Jesus said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.” He puts natural ties first—till he buries his father. The Lord will not allow him this. He must be first, and replies, “Let the dead (all by nature) bury their dead, but go thou and preach the Kingdom of God.” If he obeys the Lord he will lose his character before men. Christians are not to lack natural affection, but the Lord has ever the first place, and so they must do all by His guidance and strength.
Verses 61, 62. Another also said, “Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.” And Jesus answered, “No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God,” but if he goes back, he puts his relatives in preference to the Lord; the Lord cannot allow that, and if he serves the Lord, he will lose his connections.
Like Elisha who, in the power of his new calling, sealed it with a sacrifice and a feast to the people, and then became servant of Jehovah with Elijah (1 Kings 19:19-2119So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? 21And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. (1 Kings 19:19‑21)).
But if the servant of the Lord lose his comfort on one side, he gains both temporal and spiritual comfort on the other, from his Master’s care. If he loses his character with the world, he gains one with his Lord, and with those who are spiritual. And if he loses his relatives, he gets new ones in those who with himself seek to follow righteousness, faith, love and peace (2 Tim. 2:2222Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)), and above all, has the joy of seeking to please the Lord, and the sense of His approval.
Now, you can see that these verses have nothing to do with what is called “falling away,” but have to do with serving our Lord who is rejected on earth, and is glorified at God’s right hand in heaven. He shares His place there with us (Eph. 1:33Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 1:3)), and also His rejected place here (Phil. 1:2929For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; (Philippians 1:29)). As redeemed ones we have now a new place, with new duties, and new attachments.